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Last updated on Aug 28, 2026
Meeting Stripe's Level 2 and Level 3 payment processing requirements can qualify eligible transactions for a lower Stripe processing rate. Supplying more transaction detail also helps card issuers assess risk more accurately, which can reduce disputes and chargebacks.
Level 1 requirements are mandatory for payment processing. Level 2 and Level 3 requirements are optional and apply only to transactions that qualify for enhanced data processing.
Some Level 2 and Level 3 requirements depend on the customer's payment method and transaction details, not just merchant setup. Because of this, not every transaction qualifies.
Stripe requires a minimum set of data to process transactions. These are the Level 1 requirements.
Level 1 requirements provided by the Maxio Platform
| Requirement | Description | Provided by Maxio |
|---|---|---|
| Required Payment Method | While this particular requirement does not have a dedicated setting, e-Bill and credit card/ACH must be enabled to use Maxio payments. To add this to a customer go to: Customer Home > Add New or Edit existing > e-Bill Preferences > Check e-Bill, Enable Credit Card Payments, and Enable ACH Payments | ✓ |
| Required Billing Address | This is automatically required if the customer is using e-Bill with credit card and/or ACH payment enabled. | ✓ |
Level 1 requirements provided by Advanced Billing
| Requirement | Description | Provided by Advanced Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Required Payment Method | This setting ensures that a subscription must provide an active payment method upon activation. To enable this on the applicable products, go to: Catalog > Products > Edit button on a specific Product > Edit Product Details > Require Payment Method | ✓ |
| Required Billing Address | This setting ensures that a subscription must provide a billing address upon activation. To enable this on the applicable products, go to: Catalog > Products > Edit button on a specific Product > Edit Product Details > Require a Shipping or Billing Address > Require Billing Address | ✓ |
Level 2 processing is typically used by B2B (business-to-business) transactions and requires the merchant to provide additional data elements beyond the standard credit card information. By providing the following additional data, the merchant is able to qualify for a lower processing rate than a standard transaction receives. Some of these fields are already collected through Maxio. Visa's Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP), a U.S. interchange framework that launched in April 2025 and requires merchants to submit complete, accurate, and detailed transaction data, often at the line-item or invoice level, fully replaces the legacy Level 2 interchange program in April 2026.
Level 2 requirements provided by the Maxio Platform
| Requirement | Description | Provided by Maxio |
|---|---|---|
| All Level 1 Processing Requirements | See Base Requirements | |
| Card Type Business or Company | A business or company credit card must be used by the customer for this transaction to be eligible. | |
| Tax Amount | Taxes must be enabled and collected on the transaction. The Maxio platform collects taxes through Avalara. See Setup the AvaTax Integration to learn more about how to get that set up and enabled. | ✓ |
Level 2 requirements provided by Advanced Billing
| Requirement | Description | Provided by Advanced Billing |
|---|---|---|
| All Level 1 Processing Requirements | See Base Requirements | |
| Card Type Business or Company | A business or company credit card must be used by the customer for this transaction to be eligible. | |
| Tax Amount | If Taxes are not enabled, Maxio sends $0 for the Level 2 data qualification. Taxes can be enabled and collected on the transaction. To enable taxes for a product/component go to: Catalog > Products > Edit button on a specific Product/Component > Edit Product/Component Details > Enable Taxes for this Product/Component > Select Tax Type For best practices, Maxio recommends enabling the Avalara integration. If an Avalara account is unobtainable, the Advanced Billing calculated taxes work as well as the custom taxes as long as the tax percentage falls within 0.1% - 22%. | ✓ |
Level 3 processing takes a step further, requiring even more detailed information to be provided by the merchant. The additional information required for Level 3 processing helps to reduce the risk of fraud and chargebacks as well as provide more detailed transaction data for both the merchant and the card issuer. Visa's Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP) requires approximately the same level of detail as Level 3 to qualify for the best interchange rate possible for the card used.
Level 3 requirements provided by the Maxio Platform
| Requirement | Description | Provided by Maxio |
|---|---|---|
| All Level 1 and 2 Processing Requirements | See Base and Level 2 Requirements | |
| Product Code | The specific requirement is listed as Item Code, however, Maxio passes this information through the Code field in the invoice line item. To add product code, go to: Admin > Lists > Items > Desired Item > Edit > Code | ✓ |
| Item Category (Commodity Code) | An Item category is needed for this requirement. One of the following category types must be associated with a product:
| ✓ |
| Unit(s) of Measure | A unit of measure is required to qualify for level 3 data. If one is not added, Maxio passes each as the unit of measure. To add units of measure, go to: Admin > Lists > Items > Desired Item > Edit > Units of Measure | ✓ |
| Description | A billing description can be created for an item. If nothing is populated, Maxio auto-creates one based on whether it is Recurring or Non-recurring. To add a description, go to: Admin > Lists > Items > Desired Item > Edit > Billing Description | ✓ |
| Quantity | Invoice line item quantity is defined on the invoice and is a required field to create an invoice. To add a quantity, go to: Invoice > edit > Invoice Line Items > Quantity | ✓ |
| Unit Price | Invoice line item unit price is a calculated field passed to Stripe as: Amount / Quantity = Unit Price; If amount is less than or equal to 0, then 0 | ✓ |
| Total Amount | Invoice line item total amount is the price for the line item on the invoice and is required to create an invoice. To add a quantity, go to: Invoice > edit > Invoice Line Items > Amount | ✓ |
Level 3 requirements provided by Advanced Billing
| Requirement | Description | Provided by Advanced Billing |
|---|---|---|
| All Level 1 and 2 Processing Requirements | See Base and Level 2 Requirements | |
| Accounting Code (Product Code) | The specific requirement is listed as Product Code, however, Advanced Billing passes this information through the Accounting Code field in the Product settings. To add an accounting code to a product go to: Catalog > Products (or Components) > Edit Product Details >Edit button on a specific Product > Accounting Code | ✓ |
| Item Category (Commodity Code) | An Item category is needed for this requirement. One of the following category types must be associated with a product:
| ✓ |
| Unit Name | A unit of measure is required to qualify for level 3 data. If one is not added, Maxio passes each as the unit of measure. If the product catalog uses components, a component may also need a unit name listed for it to qualify. If applicable, go to: Catalog > Products (Components) > Edit button on a specific Component > Edit on Component Details > Unit Name | ✓ |
| Description | The product or component needs a description for it to qualify for level 3 processing. To add a description, go to: Catalog > Products (or Components) > Edit button on a specific Product or Component > Edit Product/Component Details > Description | ✓ |
| Quantity | Invoice line item quantity is defined on the invoice and is a required field to create an invoice. To add a quantity, go to: Customer > Subscriptions > Product > Invoices > Create Invoice > Invoice Line Items > Quantity | ✓ |
| Unit Price | Invoice line item unit price is selected from the line item price points list. To add a unit price, go to: Customer > Subscriptions > Product > Invoices > Create Invoice > Invoice Line Items > Unit Price | ✓ |
| Amount | Invoice line item amount is the price for the line item on the invoice and is required to create an invoice. This is a calculated field passed to Stripe as: Quantity * Unit Price = Amount | ✓ |
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